Did anyone else know this? One of my favorite local anchor teams, comprised of Dave Walker and Lois Hart on Channel 3 (KCRA), are married! And they’ve BEEN married for over 20 years! This, according to a recent article about the chemistry, and sometimes, the lack thereof, between anchors on local TV news stations.

The article identifies other local anchor teams - but does NOT mention my absolute favorite news duo: Good Day Sacramento’s Marianne McClary and Nick Toma. In fact, all the crew on Good Day are fabu; but as far as chemistry goes, these two are terrific together. Without a doubt my favorite.

But that’s just one gal’s opinion; who is your favorite local anchor team?
(more…)

Before Tim Rice and Elton John made a Disneyfied version, Giuseppe Verdi’s original Aida unites all the opera musts: war, jealousy, daddy issues, pigheaded royalty, treason, love, patriotism, and, natch, untimely, dramatic death.

Composed at a time when, if memory serves, the popular fascination with ancient Egypt would’ve been particularly strong, Verdi’s opera tells the story of particularly dangerous love triangle set against the backdrop of war between Ethiopia and Egypt. The second of 3 operas in the 2006-07 season of the Sacramento Opera, Aida is staged with breath-taking grandeur: simple, strong lines of Egyptian temples; the flowing robes of priests and priestesses; the glittering waters of a gracefully flowing Nile.

If you think you don’t like opera - this production might make you think again . . . but act fast, there’s just one performance left!
(more…)

Ann over at Sacatomato posted this week about the challenge of a 100-mile Thanksgiving, where everything served is grown or raised within 100 miles of the table. More people are learning about the benefits of shopping at farmers markets and buying local products at the supermarkets. Even being the agricultural capital we are, we don’t grow some of the things that are considered traditional Thanksgiving fare. I suppose there’s some irony in eating locally grown food on one of the busiest travel days of the year, but there are benefits aside from energy in the 100-mile Thanksgiving (supporting local farmers, freshness, quality). I’ll be one of those leaving the capital city for the holiday, but is anyone up to the 100-mile challenge?

Yesterday while driving through midtown to SCC for a Friday night class, I noticed the following odd bumper sticker on a Scion (those funny boxy cars):

“I love my country…
…but I think we should start seeing other people.”

Am I the only one in the dark on this–does it make sense to you? If so please comment.

As I was reading the sticker and driving, I was also listening to The Eagles‘ “Hotel California”–you know the line “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”…

How many people emigrate OUT of the U.S.? I suspect we may check out (like the guys in the PS3 lines this week) but most of us won’t leave. Where else would you rather live?

A friend and I are going out to lunch today (third Birthday lunch of the week-WOO HOO!!), and we were trying to decide on a suitable downtown location and I suggested the new Burger Inn on K Street…within a minute he went to the CHOWHOUND website and pulled up this review…then he nixed the place…

Looks like a cute site…like every good consumer, make up your own mind…this is just a tool in your toolbelt!

When I can work up the motivation to actually leave my house, I enjoy a nice jog around my midtown neighborhood, down and around the Capitol, and back home. The sidewalks are well-paved. The traffic’s not too heavy, nor the lights too long. About the only downside is crossing the train tracks that bisect town - not just because I possess all the grace necessary to get my foot stuck in one and go flying, but because of the rather interesting assortment of folks who can congregate around the tracks.

It’s not the people so much as their dogs. I don’t like any large dogs except my own. It’s not that I’m afraid, exactly, just wary enough - the product of a husky’s attack when I was wee, many moons ago.

So a few days ago, home at an unusually early hour, with just enough sunlight left to safely run, I casually jogged up past a particularly suspect house bordering the tracks, carefully watching the people by the tracks to watch for unleashed mutts. When out of the corner of my eye, I caught an advancing blur.
(more…)

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

–Carl Sandburg

River City fog….whew. The closer you get the river, the harder it gets to see. And since I live just under the shadow of a crumbling levee, this morning was a fun, if suicidal, navigation through the kind of soupy white fog that makes you want to turn right around and telecommute to work. Or call in sick and watch Oprah all day.

But if you didn’t stay home, then hopefully you drove with your lights on and at a lower speed this morning. I did. And I was extra glad some of the kids in my neighborhood who were walking–no, wading– through the fog to school today wore brilliant Caltrans orange-style coats. They were seen by everyone. That’s the point! Happy fog day.

Parenting isn’t an easy task. Anyone who tells you different is either in denial or has a nanny/housekeeper to do all the day to day dirty work. So that’s why I am always thrilled to see someone who doesn’t have children step up and adopt.

Just recently, a friend of mine here in Sacramento received a baby whom he and his wife will adopt. About a year and a half ago, my boss, a single, older female, adopted two brothers. Both adoptions are where the child is a different race from the parents. This is not as uncommon as it once was–do you remember all the white, middle class Americans who were adopting Russian babies in the 90s?
(more…)

That’s right, sportsfans, after years of eager anticipation and months of wildfire rumors, they’re here! Get your hot Metroblogging-wear today. Give your friends and lovers the gift of blogging - but the really fun kind where you don’t even have to blog anything on your own. You’ll never forget our URL again!